Curse of Strahd

A rundown of the New Releases that should be hitting games stores this coming week! Board games, card games, RPGs, Wargames, Miniatures and collectible games... hopefully something for everyone! In addition to the games hitting your local store we’re also now listing a few RPG PDF releases from the last week that we hope may be of interest. For more information about any of the physical products please contact your local games store.

Becoming more fond of Theme Weeks, I decided this week should feature 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons products. While some may feel the release schedule of official Wizards of the Coast products isn't what they're used to (or what they'd prefer), it's important to note that there's a huge amount of material for the latest edition of the World's Most Popular RPG from both established publishers and super-fans with excellent design instincts and an abiding passion for the game.
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Hello everyone, Darryl here with this week (and some change due to the holidays) gaming news! A new Magic: The Gathering expansion is almost upon us with an amazing video trailer, CNN confuses Fallout 4 with the real world, Asmodee acquired more companies, Petersen Entertainment sues PayPal, Wizard World's story gets even more complicated, and much more!

Darry posted an excellent News Digest Year In Review 2016 the other day, which takes a look at some of the biggest news stories of the year. I thought it would be fun to look at what were the most popular news items here on EN World over the last twelve months. Listed were the 50 most popular tabletop RPG news items on EN World of 2016. It's interesting to see that 27 of them - just over half - were about D&D 5th Edition specifically. The top item was my original scoop about Curse of Strahd, which shows that folks still come to the EN World for the rumours - which is, of course, how the site started. &nbsp...READ MORE

Hello everyone, Darryl here to recap the biggest stories of 2016 in this year in review! A lot of big events happened in tabletop gaming this past year, and I’m going to go through what I consider the most significant stories of the year!

The twenty most highly rated RPG products in EN World's database is an interesting list! D&D has 8 entries, the highest of which is the recent Volo's Guide to Monsters in 5th place. Pathfinder has a strong showing with two items in the top twenty, as does The One Ring roleplaying game and Monte Cook Games' Cypher System. The top item is Bruce Heard's setting, Calidar, which tells of the sky ship Star Phoenix and contains a fantasy setting inspired by Dragon Magazine's Voyages of the Princess Ark, by the same author. Note that an item needs 10 ratings before its overall score becomes certified and included in the chart. &nbsp...READ MORE

WotC has just launched an official Dungeons & Dragons web show called Dice, Camera, Action. It stars Chris Perkins running a game for Holly Conrad, Jared Knabenbauer, Anna Prosser Robinson, and Nathan Sharp. They are playing Curse of Strahd, so only watch it if you don't mind major spoilers. The video is nearly two-hours long. Enjoy! &nbsp...READ MORE

WotC's latest adventure, Curse of Strahd, has made its appearance on the officially licensed virtual tabletop software, Fantasy Grounds. As usual, the package comes with player and DM maps, plus it also has Tarrokka cards, a random card selector, and the Death House introductory adventure. &nbsp...READ MORE

For those not lucky enough to be near a preferred store, Curse of Strahd is still four days away (Tuesday 15th). WotC is still scattering snippets and previews around like confetti. Here's what I've scooped up. Enjoy! &nbsp...READ MORE

Curse of Strahd may be in many peoples' hands by now, but that doesn't stop us looking at Chris Perkins' map sketches for the adventure. We've seen several already, but I think this might be the best yet. This sketch map for Tsolenka Pass contains views from the side and from above and, frankly, is good enough to include in an adventure just as it is! Minor spoilers follow, of course. &nbsp...READ MORE

Now that Curse of Strahd has been officially released, cartographer Mike Schely has - as always - made his maps for the adventure available from his store. He's done a lot of work for this adventure - over two dozen full-colour maps - and come in digital DM and Player versions. you can buy the whole lot in one bundle for $30. It's a great way to support the artist, and it's great that WotC allows artists to sell the maps directly. Find the full selection here. &nbsp...READ MORE

For those of you near a preferred store, today's the day - the Curse of Strahd is upon us! The rest will unfortunately have to wait another 11 days until March 15th. But to help with the wait, here's a look at the amusing disclaimer in the front of the book (courtesy of Derek Myers on Twitter). &nbsp...READ MORE

The foreword in Curse of Strahd was written by original Ravenloft designer Tracy Hickman. And here it is! Tracy and Laura Hickman wrote I6: Ravenloft 35 years ago, and played a consultant role in this latest revival of the classic adventure, which was written by WotC's Chris Perkins. &nbsp...READ MORE

Those who are excited about the fold-out map in Curse of Strahd can take a peek at it courtesy of Jeremy Crawford. The map features Barovia on one side, and Castle Ravenloft on the other, depicted in a gorgeous isometric view just like the original Ravenloft module was back in 1983.
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Curse of Strahd contains a random d100 table of various gothic trinkets. Take a quick look at the first few items on that table! Locks which open when blood is dripped on them, the wig of someone beheaded, invisible ink that can only be read at sunset, and more. Curse of Strahd comes out on Friday in preferred stores, or 11 days later on March 15th everywhere else. &nbsp...READ MORE

Here's a look at the table of contents from Curse of Strahd (which hits preferred stores in two days, and everywhere else 11 days later on March 15th). It shows the entire adventure, along with quite the pile of maps, handouts, and more. Barovia gets 10 pages, and the Village of Barovia a further 7; Castle Ravenloft itself gets 30 pages. Also visible are things we've seen previews or sketches of, such as Old Bonegrinder.
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Yesterday, WotC's Chris Perkins took part in a Reddit AMA. I've compiled the interesting bits here. I've not included game advice questions, rules-type questions, or personal questions or things like "what's your favourite class?". So, mainly, questions about products and WotC; the AMA was mainly focused on Curse of Strahd, but covered other bits and pieces too, including hints of a Perkins collaboration with Critical Role. As always, WotC doesn't talk about unannounced future products. Also be sure to check out the the Haunted One, a preview of a background appearing in Curse of Strahd.
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It's another of Chris Perkins' map sketches for Curse of Strahd - and this time, we're looking at the Burgomaster's Mansion! Be sure to also peek at the previously revealed Blue Water Inn, Old Bonegrinder, and the Vistani Camp. Curse of Strahd will be out on March 15th (11 days earlier on March 4th - GMs Day! - for preferred stores). Beware spoilers! &nbsp...READ MORE

Here's another of Chris Perkins' hand drawn map sketches for Curse of Strahd. This is the Blue Water Inn (following on from Old Bonegrinder and the Vistani Camp). As with the previous sketches, these may contain spoilers, so view them at your own peril! The book itself comes out March 15th (11 days earlier for preferred stores). &nbsp...READ MORE

Reviews

Tired of all the fantasy role-playing games with a grim and dark palette? Well, Renegade Studios delivers a rules light system with a many-layered setting for players seeking out something brighter. Join the ranks of the Skyborn, with Overlight.

If getting your whole group together to play during December is a challenge, a holiday one-shot might be a perfect solution, and the official D&D Adventurer's League module Winter's Splendor by Ashley Warren is a great option. Even better, if you're running Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, it's a good side adventure any time of the year.

Do you want to experience the danger a teenager trapped in a monster haunted town in the 1980s faces? Do you want to fight back against the monsters by break dancing and head banging using old school D&D derived rules? Then Dark Places & Demogorgons might be the RPG you are looking for.